Chapter Two: Final Grains of Sand

The beauty of the soul shines out when a man bears with composure one heavy mischance after another, not because he does not feel them, but because he is a man of high and heroic temper.

-Aristotle

The energy around her was obviously strong, but there was a gentle caress to her reiatsu that reminded him of Unohana. Though her spiritual pressure was unrefined, it was a bit like Ichigo as well in that matter. She'd been trained a little but not much, and her abilities were not the same as a soul reaper given she was mortal. Perhaps she was like these members that had followed Tsukishima, humans with other abilities, but her spiritual pressure was higher than most, at least on the level of the felled Tsukishima.

Then, she began to stir again, it hadn't been that long so he assumed she'd only feinted from the use of so much power when she was clearly unaccustomed to it. He steadied her on her feet as she started, staring at him once she'd opened her eyes again.

"Not a dream then." Was Kagome's first comment, blinking at the man in front of her as she tried to piece together what happened but the battle seemed very broken and out of order in her mind. She saw the man getting surrounded before he leaped over Byakuya, then he nearly hit Byakuya but was hitting her. Her head ached and the shallow wound on her back burned. Balancing herself with the help of the man eyeing her she blushed a little.

"Um." She cleared her throat. "I'm ah Kagome. Who are you?"

"Byakuya Kuchiki." He said, leaving out his title and other information for the time being. If she didn't know much there was little reason to get her involved. "Are you well?"

"I'll be okay." Kagome said, her brain was still fuzzy but she was puzzling together what must have actually happened. "Um…who was that? Care to explain where we are? What's going on?"

"That man was Tsukishima, an enemy of the soul society." Byakuya stated after a moment of staring, it only seemed fair as she had interjected on his behalf. "This is a sub realm of sorts one of his minions created, I imagine it will withdraw when the others have finished their battles. As you found a way in, perhaps you will be able to find a way to exit as well."

"Well, I just sort of felt something happening near the college and I reacted." Kagome said, rubbing her hair uncomfortably. "I couldn't stand what that man was doing so I interjected…now it looks totally different than the alley I was in before."

"And what did you do?" As she seemed uncertain as to how to exit he settled to learning more about her, calling Senbonzakura back to it's sword form to slide the katana away.

"I called on my priestess powers to use holy energy." Kagome replied distractedly, staring at the reforming sword and then the hilt after he put it away. "How did you do that?"

"Senbonzakura is able to break apart into thousands of tiny blades.; each blade moving at my will to surround and entrap those that would stand against me." Byakuya replied. "You have not heard of the soul society before?"

She shook her head negatively, looking away from the sword to his neutral expression. He was still a difficult read, which was troubling as well, but she could feel he wasn't like normal people. Though she supposed his strange outfit would give that away regardless.

"So are you a ninja or samurai or something?" She finally asked, trying to be polite but having a smirk a bit at the idea.

"I am a soul reaper." Byakuya replied with a raised brow. Gray eyes considering her. "You have this sort of ability but you haven't felt us before now?"

"Well…I've noticed small things but this is the first time I just sort of walked up on a battle." Kagome replied with a small shrug of her shoulders. "You…how don't other people notice you?"

"We are spiritual creatures, unseen by most of the world. We only come here to help release the spirits of those trapped or to kill hollows – or spirits that have gone mad and refused to pass on." Byakuya explained, raising a brow again at her as she took a big step away from him suddenly.

Kagome had realized just how close she was to him after he'd steadied her and while they spoke and couldn't help but want to draw away a little. She smiled a little sheepishly at his expression. "Sorry, thanks for helping there…I didn't get in the way did I?"

"No." He shook his head negatively once, ignoring the black bangs in his face as he was accustomed to doing. "You stepped in to aid me; though I did not require help you were not a hindrance. If anything your interruption helped to fell him sooner. I imagine the other battles will be ending before long. I can't feel too many other clashes of spiritual energy."

"So…then you'll leave?" she couldn't help her frown, she wanted so much to find something like this and she didn't understand it but she knew she didn't want it to just disappear again.

"That is what we do. It is best if you do not become involved in our problems." Byakuya replied, he could hear the fear in her voice and given the strength she'd shown he wasn't certain just what was making her so nervous. "There are many people that protect those here in Karakura town with high spiritual energy but you should be careful."

"What do you mean?" Kagome frowned a bit, understanding the clear implication of danger. "Are there more like that man with the suspenders?"

"There are things other than people like that who would be interested in your abilities." Byakuya replied. "Hollows, other renegades that would want to use you for personal gain."

"But you just want me to not get involved?" Kagome asked, it was her turn to be skeptical. "I don't think that's likely."

"It isn't your decision. You are not a member of the soul society. We will protect you if we see something happening, but it is best that once this has passed that we part ways." Byakuya replied. "Perhaps you find it curious but you have a life of your own to deal with and no one that I've seen that becomes involves has an easy time."

"Does it look like I have a easy time as is?" Kagome frowned a little at being dismissed, though given the way he walked off to start looking at the walls for an exit she doubted he was going to discuss it with her.

"Asshole." She thought at him, glaring daggers at his back a moment before stepping after him. Regardless of what came after this she didn't want to stay in this weird place forever, and was doing the best not to look at the pile of gore that had been left on the ground rather unceremoniously. She traced the wall and then blinked as part of it slid open, backing several steps from a corpse that had been cut in half and a large man stalking her way into where they were.

He had bells in his hair, which was made up into impossibly long spikes, a uniform like kimono similar to Byakuya's though the coat of it was much more tattered. His face and arms had several fading scars and there was a eyepatch over his left eye.

"Fuck, what took you so long Kuchiki, that was boring as hell. You should have traded with me." He said, looking over Kagome. "Who's she?"

"Kagome. Captain Zaraki Kenpachi." Byakuya gestured between them as he introduced them; his expression more dry than usual at the arrival of his fellow captain. "She is a mortal that happened upon us by mistake and got stuck somehow."

"Well, I am sick as hell of being here. You able to get us out Kagome?" Kenpachi asked, his voice and tone naturally gruff though he wasn't showing open aggression she could feel a bloodlust just beneath his surface that didn't really make her want to be best buds.

She edged a little closer to Byakuya as she shrugged. "I dunno…maybe…I just sort of touched the wall and it opened."

"Try tracing the wall carefully." Byakuya suggested, moving closer to her when she went to do so, if she repeated the process of opening walls then the next one could be more dangerous when it opened.

"I should have just fucking stayed back at the sereitei." Kenpachi complained as he fell into step. "This is all dull as shit."

"I'd think you were accustomed to being lost." Byakuya quipped in his usual neutral tone. "Not that I expect much from you."

"Yeah? Sure you able to see all that well with your nose so high in the air." Kenpachi replied to the noble. "You want to settle things I'm fine with it blue blood."

"You speak as if you could settle anything with me." Byakuya commented.

"Stop arguing. Aren't you on the same side?" Kagome sighed. "Men and their posturing…kill each other later when we're not stuc…"

She paused mid-phrase as another doorway shifted open in front of her. Uncertain what to think of the small boy in a similar uniform to the two with her and a blond kid not much older; the later of which was gaping at them.

"I like her." Kenpachi said with a smirk, moving past them both into the new room. "You ain't done with that piss ant yet Hitsugaya?"

"Killing him could collapse the whole sub world of his on us." The boy replied, taking the sudden appearance of the other two captains and bizarre girl fairly well.

"How…how did you get in here?" The blonde demanded with a angry edge to his tone. "I made the walls full proof…each portal is separate than the rest."

"Who cares? You keep whining and I'll take my chances with the world collapsing." Kenpachi commented at the kid. "You chose the wrong side, now shut up, your leader is a pile of flesh in there, now stop this shit."

Kagome frowned a bit at the phrasing, glancing at Byakuya but he was still standing near her just inside were the gateway had already vanished. There was an aloof sovereignty about him that left her wanting to stare though she knew she didn't have time just then; instead looking to the silver haired boy and the blonde that was shaking visibly.

"I…no…you couldn't have killed him. Tsukishima is much more powerful than you." The boy waved a hand and the wall behind them vanished, there was a great nothingness and in the distance the room where they had been could be made out. The spot of blood at it's center making Kagome turn away, she'd seen a lot of blood and gore in her days but she never liked to dwell or focus on it.

"No…" The blonde fell to his knees…staring into the distance and then glaring at Byakuya. "You were cut, how could you have possibly finished him?"

"You believe such a coward capable of doing me permanent harm?" Byakuya's tone was dripping with distain. "He ended the only way you could expect for such a deceiver."

"Yeah, too bad I didn't get him. I wouldn't have wasted so much time." Kenpachi laughed, appearing next to the blonde. "Just drop the shit kid, I'm not into crushing insects."

"Never." The blonde squared his shoulders at Kenpachi. "I'll never let you…"

He was interrupted by Kenpachi's jagged blade cutting through his body. Eyes going lifeless as blood spurt from his form. "I never said I wouldn't just that I don't like it."

Hitsugaya frowned as the world around them shuddered, about to comment, when the real world burst back into view around them. There was a park at the end of the alley and Kagome took off toward it, she could feel a burst of energy that was stronger than anything else she'd felt so far. She saw the buildings cracked and grit her teeth, desiring her bow now more than ever.

A strange man in a skeletal sort of armor appeared in the alley making her draw up short. He was staring at where the fleshy mass that was Tsukishima was on the ground. His gruff features obviously shocked, apparently he was with the opposite team, or at least most of the people not wearing kimono's seemed to be.

"Tsukishima…" He looked around and then focused on Kagome, moving toward her so quickly she couldn't react, no one else got there in time either. She felt the sword enter her chest and yet she knew she wasn't showing the pain so much as the shock on her face. The flow of blood down her chest was deceptively warm. She heard small calls around her, saw in slow motion as the blade was tugged back out of her chest a moment later. The man that had stabbed her vanished again. Her feet couldn't hold her but she was managing to stand because someone was holding her.

The man with the strange hairpieces and the unique charcoal grey eyes was looking at her sadly. It was the first time she could read them, though it was an inconvenient time to feel accomplished. He was talking but she couldn't really make it out, she was already fading, her eyes slowly covering with blackness. She managed a half smile, as if to tell them it was all right when it was anything but though she couldn't manage to form a sound, only coughing up a bit of blood before the black oblivion took her.

End Chapter

This is not the end of the story. Cliffhangers I do so adore though! Hehehe. I appreciate all the love I got. It's why I worked most of the day on and off when I had time to get this finished. It made me feel all warm and fuzzy – even if I didn't let Kagome feel the same way in this chapter.

-Aura

To my reviewers:

Inuluvskag – Yeah, they are my fav crossover pairing. I love them.

MoonPrincess1989 – Well I think a day was pretty quick!

Sugar0o – Aw there you are – I missed your r0oviews.

DemonAngel17 – Thanks so much. I hope you enjoy it as I work with it.

KEdakumi – Well I hope you decide to stick with my story here.

Martyna1 - : )

Angel – Yeah I hate Tsukishima – though I guess at least he's better eye candy than Aizen was he's the same character all over again. As I'm planning to take requests for my work for NaNoWriMo (detailed in my profile) I'll try to work on Kag's Well of Many Men soon.

Sin – yay fuzz!

AFAmanda – Yeah they're my fav crossover couple…though I like putting Kags with lots of people.

Anomy – Thanks

Natsumi15 – Thanks for the love it really makes me feel awesome